Storm Chaser: Chapter 38

Chapter 38

The wind began to pick up speed and the dark clouds seemed to be rushing towards them. Judging she had moved far enough from the Marta, Elena cut the tow line loose, releasing the unknown ship to its own fate. She marked down the coordinates but somehow thought they would be of little use. With no one at the helm it was likely to shift position drastically.

“It will at least give them a starting point,” she said to herself. She thought about Peter and his conversation with Andre. “That ship was not bound for the Augustine. Peter could have lied.” She adjusted her course. “Or Jonathan could have lied.” She thought about it. “Or the military could be building several different ships at the same time.” Somehow she liked that scenario less than the others. It meant that the military was comfortable enough in its designs to use it as a template for multiple ships. Given the ship she had just released she felt this was probably the more likely option.

“I wonder how many dead that translates into?” She frowned as the first drops ticked against the glass of the pilot house windows. “I suppose the regular channel riders are supposed to act life lifeguards until they get it right.” She shook her head. Considering the low number of American pilots and the complicated allegiance system she had the feeling the military was in for a rude awakening. “After all New World pilots are still bound to Old World council members.” It was a situation that could be at best described as uneasy. Briefly Elena thought of her mother. A wave crested the Storm Chaser’s bow and she was forced to put anything but the ship out of her thoughts. She trusted Mateo and Benjamin to see to their passengers. She just had to ride out the storm.

The rain increased and individual droplets disappeared into a gray sheet. Whatever sun remained was hidden and Elena switched on the ship’s lanterns. She didn’t know if anyone else was out here but the squares of butter yellow light gave her comfort. It also provided distinction between her ship and the world turned gray. Water sluiced across the deck as the ship dove into troughs and rode crests. She hoped none of the passengers suffered from sea sickness. Elena held steady, riding each wave and keeping them more or less on course. Her focus was as tight as when she fled raiders. For all the technology the Storm Chaser possessed, the ocean was still the ocean.

Time passed and Elena blocked fatigue with adrenaline. Gradually the rain eased. The wind took longer to die down and waves still buffeted the ship. Elena felt the ache in her arms but shook it off. Eventually the waves became merely choppy and the sky began to clear. Elena loosened her grip and checked their heading.

“Not bad,” she said. Spin stuck her head out from under the equipment panel where she had taken refuge. “A minor correction will have us heading towards home in no time.” Spin meowed in her direction and began to groom herself with dignity, as if she hadn’t spent a chunk of time cowering from the elements. Elena laughed and her stomach growled.

“Looks like I came just in time,” Benjamin said as he stepped into the pilot house. He held out a plate containing a sandwich.

“Have I ever told you that you are my favorite non- blood relation crew member?” She said taking the plate from him. He laughed.

“And the competition for that position was fierce.”

“Of course,” she said taking a bite of the sandwich so her stomach would quiet. “How are our passengers?”

“Comfortable,” he answered. “Mateo is taking care of them and of course muttering that he is used to tinkering with mechanical things and not people.”

“That I can believe,” she told him. “But unfortunately my medical knowledge is limited to basic first aid and getting people to a doctor as fast as possible.”

“Mine is about the same,” Benjamin admitted. “This is why I bowed out of our makeshift infirmary and headed to the galley. I figured if they were holed up in space suits for very long they might be a little hungry. That I could handle. Now that things have calmed down a bit I’ll make something a little less basic.”

“No soup in a storm?”

“No soup while riding a bucking bronco of a storm. We left the sippy cups behind and I didn’t think we had that much burn ointment. I’ll send up a bowl when it’s ready.”

“Thanks,” she said. Benjamin returned to the galley, Spin trailing after him. The cat stepped delicately over the still wet deck. Elena finished the sandwich he had brought and the hollow space in her belly seemed to echo less. She let the promise of a bowl of soup calm it for the moment. Elena corrected her course. She yawned hugely and felt her jaw pop.

“I wonder how long we were in the storm?” The clock in the pilot hose was still out from the channel crossing and her watch was safely back in the port locker. She glanced at the sky and realized it had the pearly look of early dawn. “That means about half a day and the night.” Elena saw Mateo crossing the deck to the pilot house. From the look of him, he hadn’t gotten much sleep either.

“Morning,” he said, entering the pilot house.

“Morning,” Elena replied. “Heard you were up all night playing doctor.”

“Be a lot more fun with different patients,” he told her. Mateo held out a thermos and Elena took it. She unscrewed the cap as was greeted by the aroma of fresh coffee. She sighed in contentment. “Thought you could use a pick me up.”

“Always. She poured coffee into the thermos cup and placed the thermos in the build in cup holder. She took a sip. “Thanks.”

“No sweat.” Mateo settled himself into the one extra chair in the pilot house. It was build into the wall and the seat could be folded up and attached to the wall if it was in the way. He sighed heavily as he settled and Elena watched him scrub his hands over his face.

“You need some sleep,” she told him. “Why don’t you take a few hours down now that we are calm?”

“Like I can’t see your exhaustion?”

“True,” Elena said with a smile. “But if you take a few hours down now then I can let you have the wheel while I take a few hours down.”

“You could take yours first,” he commented. Elena snorted.

“And trust my ship to someone as tired as you? I’d never get any rest that way.”

“Of course.” Mateo rubbed his face again. “I’ll head down in a minute.” He paused. “All three have military haircuts,” Mateo said. Elena nodded.

“I figured as much.”

“They also feel disinclined to chat.”

“Ah,” Elena said, not all that surprised. “Are they feeling better at least?”

“As far as I can tell,” Mateo answered with a shrug. “If they have any internal damage it will take an actual doctor to determine.”

“Thanks for taking care of them.”

“Beat the alternative,” he answered wearily. Elena sipped her coffee and stared out into the sea. The waves had calmed and the sky was clear. It would be a fine day. Off to starboard Elena caught a glimpse of movement. She turned to look. At first glance it looked like a whale or some other creature of the deep surfacing but something about it was a little off. Elena frowned.

“What is it?” Mateo asked. From where he sat he couldn’t see the ocean’s surface.

“I don’t know,” she said slowly. Elena reached for the mounted telescope and swung it in the direction of the shape still rising from the ocean. Mateo pushed himself off the chair with an audible groan. “You really need to crash,” she said to him with a frown.

“In a minute,” he replied. Elena peered through the eye of the telescope. The shape was pulled into her view. It was still quite a distance away but the shape had some sharp edges.

“That is not natural,” she commented. Elena backed away to give Mateo a turn to look. He frowned.

“It’s a submarine.”

“Explains how the other ship got into the channel,” Elena said. Mateo quirked up an eyebrow in question. “If a submarine was watching us they could have marked where we entered the Marta.” She explained. “While all channels vary in depth and can shift in a certain area it would be a logical guess we would aim the Storm Chaser to the center of the Channel. If they came only a short time after we did they would have a reasonably good chance of making it into the channel, especially at this time of year when it is fully open.”

“Makes sense,” he said. Mateo leaned on the telescope. “I think sleep is out for the moment.”

“I’d wake you if anything happened.”

“I’d never be able to sleep,” he said. A yawn made it sound like a lie.

“Try there,” she said pointing to the wall. A bunk was folded into the wall. “I’ll still need someone to relieve me in a few hours. Mateo grimaced but yawned again before he could comment. With a sign of defeat he walked to the wall and unlatched the bunk. It folded down like a shelf on chains.

“And if anything happens?”

“You’ll be the first to know.”

“Okay. Maybe just a few minutes.” Mateo curled up in the bunk and Elena was willing to swear he was out the moment his head hit the pillow. She turned her attention back to the ocean where the submarine was still rising out of the depths. She sipped her coffee. When it stopped rising not much of it was out of the water. From its elongated shape however it was clear Mateo had been right. It was a sub and she had a feeling it would want her three new passengers back. To her surprise the sub did not attempt to hail the Storm Chaser. Instead it kept a more or less parallel course. It didn’t come any closer but it easily kept pace. The sun crested the horizon and spilled golden light across the waves, breaking up the pearly gray that had come before.

“Maybe they are waiting for a decent hour to call,” she mused softly. Mateo snored softly in the background. A little while later Benjamin brought a bowl of soup and a couple of hot rolls.

“Not exactly normal breakfast,” he commented “But since we all missed dinner I suppose it could be called catching up.”

“Works for me,” Elena told him.

“I would have brought a second bowl but I thought he was out in his bunk.”

“No problem. He crashed up herein case something happened. I’ll send him down for a bowl when he wakes.”

“Are you expecting something to happen?” Benjamin asked. Elena used her spoon to gesture towards the submarine.

“They have been shadowing us for about two hours,” she told him. “More or less.” Benjamin looked out across the water. “Have our guests been fed?”

“Yeah I dropped off their food on the way up. I’m guessing from the way they went for it their last meal was quite some time ago.” Elena calculated how long it took the Storm Chaser to get from the channel opening to the Docking Facility and back.

“Nearly a week would be my guess,” Elena told him.

“So do you think they will ask us to pull over and show identification?” Benjamin asked.

“They might,” Elena said with a smile. She dipped a corner of the roll into the soup and then took a bite. “Pretty sure they will want their people back in any case.” They stood quietly, both watching the sub as Elena ate. She was halfway through her bowl of soup when the hail came across the radio.

“I guess they decided we were up,” Elena commented. Mateo blinked awake and sat up rubbing his eyes. “I guess we had better talk to them.”

Storm Chaser: Chapter 37

Happy Memorial Day weekend everyone, the next post will be Tuesday. v

Chapter 37

Elena altered the Storm Chaser’s course slightly to be able to come along side the disabled ship. Mateo and Benjamin were on deck watching the bulk of the strange ship as they approached. They were in protected space so the possibility of a raider attack was slim but Elena monitored the horizon as they approached. She strongly suspected mechanical failure. She shrugged a little as she guided them closer. What ever the cause her course was clear. No channel rider left a stranded ship without helping clear survivors.

Elena glanced to the men on deck. Mateo had a spy glass trained on the ship and was muttering to himself as he tried to spot either details or movement. Benjamin had slung a bright white backpack emblazoned with a big red cross on his back. She knew it was the emergency medical kit stashed in the galley. She returned to studying the ship. She was less concerned with determining markings and more concerned with finding the emergency dock. If she could find the docking area that would allow the ship’s crew to move from the ship to the docking facility she could line up with it and Mateo and Benjamin could use the docking tube to board the floundering ship and retrieve survivors. So far Elena was having no luck spotting it. Soon they would be too close to correct her course. She pushed the window open.

“Do you see the emergency dock?” Elena called down to Mateo. He shook his head.

“It isn’t built like a channel rider. I can’t see any of the normal safeties.” Elena swore under her breath at the response. She couldn’t risk sending the two over without a secure dock.

“Do you see a place we could set a tow line?” They were less than an hour from the channel mouth. If they could secure the ship they could simply tow it earthside and at least not have the complications of space’s vacuum.

“I think so. Keep this course steady and we should be able to secure a tow line.” Elena gave them a thumbs up and watched as they readied the winch. As the ship still had to float when they hit the water of earthside she knew they would risk no damage to the hull.

“Otherwise we’re both sunk.” She told Spin, who had climbed up onto the top of one of the instrument panels in order to have a safe view of the proceedings. The grapple was launched, and Elena was reminded of the old fashioned whaling ships. She rubbed Spin’s ears. “Of course this is a bit more humane.” The grapple caught and the line was secured. Elena moved the Storm Chaser past the disabled ship and held her breath as the line went taut. It held. She exhaled slowly.

“I think quicker would be better for this,” She muttered. Elena gripped the wheel and focused. The open channel was just ahead. At normal speed they would reach it in one hour’s time. She figured she could cut that time in half. She gauged the depth and nodded to herself. The Marta was still at its deepest this time of year. Passage would not be a problem as long as the weight stayed distributed. She called down to Mateo to lengthen the tow line and gave him the measurements. Satisfied that the weight was as it needed to be, Elena concentrated on speed. Her world faded to the ship, its speed and the channel entry. In many ways it was like out running raiders. She had no idea how many of the ships crew were still alive and if they were how much of an oxygen supply they had. Even a few minutes could make a difference. She pushed the thought away.

“Channel entry in five,” She called. Mateo and Benjamin moved away from the railings, following protocol. She dimly noticed that each had slipped on one of the red cross marked vests. The symbol may not be universal but every human would recognize it. If this was a military operated vessel perhaps the vests would keep the men from getting shot. Channel entry was bumpier than usual due to both speed and the drag towing a second ship caused and Elena was glad Mateo and Benjamin had followed procedure. Water swept the deck, the momentum of their entry carried them away from the channel. Elena glanced behind at the other ship. It too was clear of the channel and at the moment did not appear to be in danger of sinking. Not knowing what damage she had taken meant Elena didn’t know how long that would hold true.

“Clear,” She called. Mateo and Benjamin jumped into action. The winch was turned on and slowly the ship was brought closer. When it was along side, Benjamin latched the emergency boarding ramps in place on the Storm Chaser. As there were no corresponding brackets on the other ship is was left somewhat loose.

“Like walking the plank,” Elena said. She leaned heavily on the wheel, her energy drained. She would not be able to help with the rescue but would watch for signs of trouble and give the word if it looked like the other ship needed to be cut loose. Mateo and Benjamin raced across the plank and leapt onto the other ship. From this close Elena could tell they had no markings. The ship was small and it did not take the two men long to search it.

“Apparently there are survivors,” Elena commented to Spin. “Good,” she continued. “Hate to risk my ship for nothing.” Matro and Benjamin used the portable medical stretcher to bring the first one out. Elena blinked hard in surprise. The man was wearing a space suit. Elena watched as they brought him aboard.

“Three,” Mateo called as they passed her position. The man wore the standard looking Michelin man suit with the fishbowl helmet and oxygen tank strapped to his back. While the ship had no insignia, the same could not be said for the suits. Emblazoned on the suit’s left arm in all its glory was the United States flag. Mateo and Benjamin dropped the spaceman off in one of the crew’s bunks and went back for a second load. The second man wore the same suit as did the third.

By the time the two men got the third survivor on board they looked nearly as wiped as she did. They dropped him in the bunk and returned to deck. Elena walked down to meet them as Benjamin unhooked and stowed the plank and Mateo let out the line in the winch. The ship drifted further away as the line extended. In a few minutes Elena would kick on the motor and the slack line that still dripped in the water would grow taut as they moved to a safe distance. If the other ship started to sink the line could be cut with little risk to the Storm Chaser.

“Any thoughts?” She asked.

“I think the suits were their idea of safety precautions,” Mateo said.

“Crude,” Benjamin added. “But effective as well as damn heavy. The suits probably saved their lives. It looked like their primary mechanical system blew.”

“I would guess they had a small back up system in the room where they stored the suits. It had a burned spot on the wall and floor around it. I have the feeling the back up unit gave them just enough time to get into the suits before it blew. I’d have to take a closer look to be certain.” Elena nodded.

“Even to me the mechanical units the military designed looked off. It seemed to be their biggest weakness after scale,” Elena said.

“Probably didn’t account for the heat differential,” Mateo commented absently. Elena saw him staring off at the tethered ship.

“You aren’t going on board to study it,” Elena said. Mateo looked ready to argue until Elena pointed to the sky in front of them. Benjamin and Mateo turned to look. The sky was dark with storm clouds and the wind that should have calmed when they lost momentum had remained. In the excitement it had gone un noticed.

“We will keep the ship in tow for a little while but if the weather gets worse, we cut the line.”

“Why keep it in tow at all?” Benjamin asked.

“I want it away from the Marta,” Elena replied. “If we can tow it to port Mateo can look at it before we report it to the military’s lost and found. If not we can just report the coordinates where we cut it loose. Would you two mind checking in on our visitors? I want to see if we can get some speed to get some distance between the ships and each other as well as the Marta.” They nodded and took the emergency medical kits to the crew’s bunk.

Elena returned to the pilot house and kicked the engines into gear. The tow line rose out of the water, dripping as it stretched. She adjusted the Storm Chaser’s course to hopefully stay on the edges of the approaching storm rather than barreling directly into it. One glance at the sky told her complete avoidance would not be possible as the dark clouds stretched across the entire expanse of sky. Spin mewled and Elena reached over to rub her ears.

“You’ll be high and dry in here,” Elena told her. Spin turned large eyes to the sky line. “I just hope there were no serious injuries.” Live military personal on her ship was one thing. Dead ones were a whole different ball game.

Storm Chaser: Chapter 36

Public Service announcement: Never borrow a flash drive without permission. Thank you. v

Chapter 36

“Doesn’t that break the fifty pound rule?” Mateo asked as Elena took the third bag from her trunk.

“Captain’s prerogative,” She answered with a grin. “The quarters I’m in are too standard and need a bit of personal in them.” She closed her trunk and slung the heavy bag to her shoulder. The second she picked up with her right hand while Mateo grabbed the third. His regulation weight bag was over his shoulder. “Besides,” Elena continued as they began moving towards the docks, “I realized there was some stuff I wouldn’t want Smith and company going through while I was gone so I decided to stash it elsewhere for the time being. Since we don’t have a full crew this run I thought it was as good a time as any.”

“Good plan,” Mateo said. “It would be a shame for the military to see your rock collection.” Elena laughed.

“That would be my moon rock collection,” she countered.

“Uh huh, and this is one small step.” To Elena’s relief the only person she saw was Ted. He waved as he continued his morning patrol. The docks were still dark and dawn was just edging into the horizon. Golden light was beginning to trace fine fingers across the water. Elena smiled. Her smile wilted as she heard another car pull up. She turned to see Benjamin getting out of a cab and Elena nearly sighed with relief. The last two days she had dealt with Isa six times, a new personal record for her. Elena was actually proud that Isa had sustained no bodily damage during the time. She and Mateo stopped to wait for him as he paid the driver, grabbed his gear and crossed over to them.

“Am I late?” he asked. Spin, who had been trailing along silently mewed loudly. Benjamin reached down and rubbed her ears. “My apologies for being late,” he told her.

“Not late enough to worry about,” Elena said as they continued to the ship. Benjamin took Elena’s second bag and she typed in her pass code. Once they were inside, each of them placed the items they wouldn’t need in lockers against the wall. Elena placed her purse, keys and cell phone in the locker and swung it shut with a sense of relief. While she was gone the cell phone would be off and any issues that arose would have to wait. There was an extra bounce in her step as she followed Spin to the ship. In a short while they were underway and Elena felt all was right with her world.

The weather was fine all the way to the channel mouth and Elena had that last week of school feeling. Time alternately went too slow and at the same time seemed to rush away. As they approached the channel she found herself studying it more than usual. She did not attempt to alter the channel in any way but instead of simply registering the depth and location so she could pilot through she studied the edges. They seemed to be a little like an onion, as if the distance between the channel entrance and its exit had been separated into layers too thin to count and peeled back to reveal the channel. It was an observation she kept to herself along with the details of her latest set of dreams.

Opening new channels was enough to worry about. Altering existing ones was an issue best left alone for the time being. There was no way to focus on the edges once she took the ship into the channel. The rainbow blur of passage defied inspection. One full day skyside and the Storm Chaser reached the section of space they were to test. Once they were in range of the worn spot, Elena slowed the ship. Benjamin assisted Mateo in lining up his sets of probes. The plan was that Mateo would turn on his automated guidance system to take the energy for guiding the ship off Elena while she opened the new channel a little way. Then the probes would go into the new channel. The new channel would then close and on the return trip the probes would be retrieved. It was a fairly simple plan with about a million little things that could go wrong.

“This would be a whole lot simpler if either of you could actually see the channels, you realize that?” Elena told them.

“It would of course,” Mateo said with a grin. “But we are just poor simple males not worthy of seeing the full glory of the channels.” Benjamin laughed while Elena shook her head.

“Nothing is ever easy,” Benjamin said. “But that’s where the fun is.”

“The safety is engaged,” Mateo said. Elena nodded and turned her attention to the worn spot in space, trusting Mateo and his devices to keep the ship safe. She concentrated on the worn spot and used her ability to worry it, like creating a hole in a worn pair of jeans. It was the same spot she had tried before and this second time it parted easier, as if with use it would eventually remain open on its own. Elena took a deep breath. The channel may have opened easier this time but it still took more energy than normal channel riding. She moved to Mateo’s sighting mechanism and lined it up with the center of the new channel. She nodded when it was aligned and Mateo launched the first series of probes. They disappeared into the channel.

“I may not see the channel, but I saw that,” Benjamin said as the probes disappeared.

“No you didn’t,” Mateo countered with a smile.

“Of course not,” Benjamin said. “I saw nothing.” The second round of probes was loaded. Elena made slight corrections in their trajectory due to the ship’s movement and nodded to Mateo. The second set was launched. It was quickly followed by the third and final set. Elena closed the new channel and sagged against the cabin wall. Benjamin walked over and handed her an apple.

“Too help rebuild energy. I think dinner will be early tonight,” He said. He moved past her and headed towards the galley. Elena gratefully bit into the apple. Mateo packed away his toys, a wide grin splitting his face. Elena could hear him humming to himself as he worked.

“You know that was rather anti climactic,” Elena said. Mateo looked over his shoulder at her.

“True but it is the first step. While we continue on to the Docking Facility our little probes will take all sorts of measurements and readings and then when we pass this way again I will use this,” Mateo dug a remote control out of his pocket and held it up, “To retrieve them. Then we will take them home and the fun really begins.” She shook her head and continued eating her apple.

“Can’t wait for the fun,” she muttered. She glanced down at Spin who had silently watched the entire proceedings with an air of distain. “What do you think?” Spin tilted her head and looked at the worn spot as they slid past it. She circled Elena’s ankles and followed Benjamin into the galley. “Well, ask a stupid question,” Elena said with a small laugh.

The trip to the docking facility was a whirlwind. Elena dropped her bags off in her quarters and returned to the docks. The Sea Rascal was in the process of docking when she arrived. Her Aunt Catherine stepped off the ship and hugged first Mateo and then Elena.

“I see neither of you have been in long enough for a shower either,” Catherine commented.

“You aren’t exactly summer fresh yourself Mother,” Mateo commented.

“True,” she said. The dock hands arrived and Catherine directed the Sea Rascal’s cargo to be loaded directly onto the Storm Chaser.

“How long are you in port,” she asked.

“Only the night,” Mateo commented as Elena directed the loading of the Storm Chaser. “We go back in the morning.” Catherine nodded.

“Then after showers we all have dinner,” she said. “Don’t worry,” she added with a laugh. “I won’t ask about your projects. Just about your lives.”

The next morning Elena and Mateo stood on deck, casting off from the Docking Facility while Benjamin busied himself below.

“I think I would have preferred discussing projects,” Mateo grumbled. Elena laughed.

“Well she is your mother, what did you think she was going to ask?”

“Just because she is getting Nate married off doesn’t mean she need to focus on me,” he complained. “Isn’t one wedding enough?”

“Apparently not,” Elena said.

“She could always concentrate on Lucas.”

“And think of her baby growing up and getting married.”

“Lucas is 22 years old,” Mateo said. “I don’t think he qualifies for baby status any more.”

“Maybe not to you but as your youngest brother he is still your mother’s baby.”

“You aren’t helping,” Mateo said as he tied off the last of the gear.

“Uh huh,” Elena commented walking towards the pilot house. “Like you helped last night with your comments about Andre?”

“I was deflecting.”

“Sure,” Elena said with a laugh. “Throw me under the bus.” Slowly the Docking Facility faded into the horizon. Elena was a little jumpy and had to remind herself that the entire trip was in protected space. There were no raiders here. She did not need to be as hyper vigilant. They retrieved the probes with no incident. To Mateo’s surprise all but one of the probes was recovered.

“Excellent recovery rate,” he sing-songed as he stashed the information chips in lead lined containers to protect them and the information they contained through the journey in the channels. Elena ignored him as an anomaly came into view. She squinted at the horizon but the blip did not change. It was a dark spot a few hours ride from the channel mouth. Mateo noticed Elena’s lack of comment and looked up. He saw her concentration and turned. He reached into the bag by his feet and handed her a small telescope. Elena took it silently and held it up to her eye. The dark spot resolved itself.

“A ship,” she said. She took in some of the details, the way the ship was listing somewhat to the side, and the way it was seemingly floating at random rather than sailing on course. “No raider’s here,” she said absently. That meant the ship had encountered another sort of trouble. The distance was still too great to make out any kind of specific details but Elena had a sinking suspicion she knew who the ship belonged to. She sighed, knowing she couldn’t leave them there with no assistance.

“It’s not like they can call triple A,” She looked over at Mateo, who had continued to store his gear. “Make sure anything you don’t want the military to see is well hidden,” she told him. “Hide it among the cargo if need be. I have a feeling we are going to be taking on passengers after all.”

Storm Chaser: Chapter 35

Running a day late, v

Chapter 35

After Benjamin left Elena took out one of the note cards she routinely used for thank you notes. She wrote a short message to Peter, thanking him for the gift and explaining that she could not accept it. She placed the note with the box and felt extremely relieved when the messenger picked it up. She busied herself the rest of the day with routine tasks and by the time she made her way home felt confident that both Calabrese Imports and Nibbles would survive and even thrive in her absence.

“Thank god for that,” she muttered to herself as she climbed the stairs. She was more than ready to get underway. She had a Christmas Eve feeling in her belly and recognized it as the same sort of giddiness Mateo showed the closer he got to trying out one of his new toys. She was just as eager to road test her new abilities. She knew she could open the new channel but with the recordings she could find out if her dreams were true representations of what they would find on the other side. She grinned as she unlocked her door. Her grin froze when she saw the box she had returned to Peter sitting in the center of her living room floor. Her note was gone but another was tucked under the elastic ribbon. She bent and retrieved the note. It had the Baranov crest emblazoned on the envelope. She slit the envelope open and pulled out the card.

“Keep it,” she read. “Trust me. Peter.” Elena sighed, picked up the box and carried it to the closet in her spare bedroom. She placed the box in the closet and closed the door. She then went to the kitchen and poured herself the remaining glass of wine from the bottle in her fridge.

“I am definitely going to have to talk to Kiera about those locks.” Elena spent the rest of the evening crunching numbers. Due to construction and basic start up costs Nibbles was still in the red but as those were one time fees she estimated the red would fade to black in very little time if things maintained their present course. She went to bed feeling relieved and tumbled into the same dream as the night before. Every detail was the same, from dancing with Andre, to the necklace, to the deepening of the channel. She woke in a sweat from the exertion, still unable to hear the voice from the radio and still unsure of her cargo. Again her first thought on waking was of Kiera’s garden. Elena ran a hand across her throat, relieved not to find a necklace there.

“Apparently I am going crazy into the bargain,” she muttered after recording the dream in her journal. She glanced out of her bedroom window, pleased to see that the icy rain had stopped and the sun was peeking through.

Today she had no choice but to drive. Mateo was renting a van to take equipment to the Storm Chaser for installation. She would be driving down in her car separately for security reasons. She pulled on a pair of faded jeans, a thick sweater and heavy wool socks. She laced her boots over the socks and covered the whole outfit with a jacket. She headed out to her car. It was still early enough that the sky was still a luminescent gray but knowing her cousin he had probably left when that gray was still hugging the horizon.

“Unfortunately he doesn’t have the pass code to get into the warehouse,” She said as she warmed up the car’s engine. She eased the car out of the garage and headed for the docks. About halfway to Grant’s Inlet her cell phone rang. She smiled as she recognized the number and pressed the talk button.

“So how long have you been waiting at the docks?” she asked.

“For your information I am not at the docks,” Mateo told her.

“Really?” Elena said. “I thought you’d be all fired up to get going.”

“I am. I’m just not at the docks.”

“So where are you?” Elena envisioned everything from a flat tire to a military seizure of equipment.

“I am at Dockside Annie’s,” Mateo informed her.

“And that would be where exactly?”

“It is the restaurant Consuelo McCracken opened.”

“So you got tired of waiting and went to get breakfast,” Elena guessed with a laugh.

“Something like that,” Mateo confessed. “I didn’t think picking the lock would be a very good plan with all that security down there.”

“Security isn’t that bad,” Elena said.

“Maybe not last time you were here but it is pretty hopping now,” he told her. “In addition to the many visitors in town for the grand opening several of your newly acquired pilots are setting up their home berths. Lots of activity down here.”

“I’m about an hour out,” she told him. “Just have another cup of coffee and I’ll meet you at the restaurant.”

“Will do,” he said. He hung up and Elena sighed. Apparently the new pilots for her area were moving in before the visitors had a chance to leave. She had the feeling hopping was a bit of an understatement. Luckily all of them had plenty of experience at not drawing attention to themselves and they were well aware of the military presence. Since Smith knew what port was being used she had the feeling someone was watching it.

“Even he isn’t that incompetent,” she muttered as she took the necessary left turn. Somehow she had a feeling that a quiet day spent helping her cousin outfit the Storm Chaser with new equipment was not in her immediate future.

“Probably for the best I expect,” she told herself philosophically. “At least for Mateo.” Elena realized she was less than useful in the installation process but unwilling to let anyone, Mateo or not, tinker with her ship without her supervision. “I’d probably just be in the way anyway. Except for the things that require two people to carry.”

As she expected Mateo had underestimated the increased activity. She had to circle the restaurant parking lot twice in order to get a spot to park. Shaking her head she went into the restaurant.

“I wonder who Annie is,” Elena wondered while searching the crowd for her cousin. She spotted him at the bar, a cup of coffee in his hand and a blonde by his side. “Figures,” she said to herself. Unwilling to interrupt, Elena caught his eye and waved. He spotted her and waved back. She saw him put some money on the bar, presumably for the coffee and stand up. The woman handed him a slip of paper that Elena would have bet half of Nibbles annual profits contained her phone number. Mateo smiled, tucked the number in his pocket and walked over to her.

“About time sleepy head,” Mateo said by way of greeting. “I parked the van by the docks and walked over, so I’ll have to ride down with you.”

“No sweat,” she answered. “Of course I’m parked halfway to the docks as it is.”

“Elena,” Consuelo’s voice called out from behind her. She turned and smiled.

“Good morning,” she said. The shirt Consuelo had decided on for the day was an eye searing yellow. Elena found herself blinking hard.

“You have come for breakfast?”

“Um, no actually I was just picking up Mateo for some work at the docks.” Consuelo frowned apparently not liking the answer.

“You will be back for lunch then?”

“Sure,” Elena said. “If we can grab a table.”

“Of course there will be a table. We get busy for lunch around 11:45. If you show up at 11:30 you will have your pick of tables and I will have a chance to ask some questions of you.”

“11:30 it is,” Elena said.

“Good. Enjoy your work.” Consuelo turned and the crowd parted before her, closing back in her wake.

“We better get going if you are going to make it back in time for your 11:30 appointment,” Mateo said. “I have the feeling it would not be a good idea to be late.” Elena shot him a dirty glare but there was no heat to it. After all, he was right. They made it first to the car and then to the docks without incident. It was as they began to unload the van that the interruptions started.

“Uh oh,” Mateo said under his breath as he hopped in the back of the van. Realizing that whatever had occasioned the comment was behind them, Elena did not turn. Lately she was working on the if-I-don’t-notice-you then-maybe-you will-realize-I-am busy-and-leave-me alone theory of problem solving. So far the only time it had more or less worked was when she and Andre were watching Peter and Jonathan. Elena still had hopes.

“Isa,” Mateo Clarified. “Lets grab the large box that needs both of us,” he suggested.

“Agreed,” she said. Mateo moved behind a large box and slid it towards the open doors where Elena stood.

“It isn’t that heavy but it is oddly balanced,” he told her. He slid his end around so it was balanced on the edge. While Elena steadied it Mateo jumped back out of the van. Elena gave an experimental lift of her end.

“We will need to shift it down and lock the van behind us if both of us are going inside,” Elena said thinking of Isa.

“Okay,” Mateo confirmed. “Ready? 1, 2, 3.” On three they lifted the box and set it on the ground. Mateo swung the door on his side closed and Elena followed suit with hers. Mateo locked the doors. As he was tucking the keys into his back pocket Isa arrived.

“Morning,” she said as she approached. Elena looked over and was surprised Isa’s attention was solely focused on her. She saw the corner of Mateo’s mouth quirk up in a grin before he squashed it back down.

“Morning,” Elena responded with a nod.

“Ready?” Mateo asked her.

“Yeah,” she replied. They both bent down to grab the handles and again lifted on three. They started towards the security doors that stood between them and the Storm Chaser. Isa followed.

“So is this cargo?” Isa asked, continuing to ignore Mateo.

“Yes,” Elena replied.

“Watch out for the stairs,” Mateo told her. They shuffled down three steps and back on to level ground.

“Thanks,” she told him wondering why they had not just sloped the sidewalk instead of adding the steps.

“Oh,” Isa said. “They aren’t modifications then. So where is the cargo bound for?” Isa asked as though she doubted them. Elena fought hard not to roll her eyes.

“The ship,” she said. Mateo fought another grin while Isa pouted. They reached the security doors before Isa could come up with another probing question and Elena remembered why she had always had a problem with Therese’s friends. Like the Council they always had some kind of plot or scheme going. Unlike the council they did not have the intelligence to pull off deep seated plots. It is what made dealing with Riko and Peter scary but dealing with Isa tedious. Elena and Mateo placed the box on the ground and Elena turned to the key pad to type in her code. As she reached for the keys one of the security guards rounded the corner and walked towards their group. Elena smiled as she recognized him.

“Morning Ted,” she called.

“Good morning right back at ya.” He said.

“They keeping you busy?” She asked.

“Certainly are,” he said grinning. “It’s getting so a man can’t finish a single episode of his favorite show before he is called out of the guard house.” Elena laughed.

“And last time I asked you were bored out of your skull.”

“What can I say? You can’t win for losing. These folks with you?”

“I am,” Mateo said.

“This is my cousin,” Elena said making introductions. “He’ll be working with me a while.” Ted shook Mateo’s hand and turned to Isa.

“Now ma’am, why don’t you go on and let these people get some work done.” Isa looked ready to protest.

“Have a nice day,” Elena said. Mateo waved as she angrily turned and stomped off.

“Not our most politic parting,” Elena commented.

“But it did get her to go away,” Mateo said. “Thanks Ted. You are a prince among men.”

“That’s what I keep telling folks,” Ted replied. He inclined his head in Isa’s direction. “We seem to be getting a lot of that lately. Johnny thinks its whatchacallit, corporate espionage.” He seemed to savor the words as he said them. “Everyone trying to get everyone else’s secrets. I’ll be around if you need me.” Ted nodded at them and ambled off to continue his patrol. Elena turned back to the key pad and typed in her code. The picked up the box and took it inside.

It took several more trips to unload the van and several times people hailed Elena. They were usually easy to brush off. Once Elena caught sight of Riko but the councilor merely waved instead of coming over to chat, a fact Elena deeply appreciated.

“You know she just wants to let you know she is watching,” Mateo said. “She won’t really have anything to say to you until you are ready to form an alliance with her.”

“I know,” Elena responded. That is what makes it so creepy.” They worked through the morning, Elena mostly serving as manual labor, holding bits and pieces in place while Mateo did his thing. 11:30 rolled around and Elena went to meet with Consuelo. She promised to bring Mateo a sandwich back since he resolutely refused to leave the ship.

Consuelo had been right; the restaurant had not yet gone into full swing at 11:30 but Elena thought is was a close thing. She could almost feel the crowds beginning to circle. Elena decided a short lunch would be best. To her relief, Consuelo had no problem with brevity as she was needed in the kitchen. After all what she wanted did not require a lengthy conversation. Consuelo merely wanted to arrange for bulk orders of some of Nibbles’ wares. Since the chef did not mind the original packaging Elena arranged for the goods to be taken directly from the ship when it docked. With a sense of relief that Consuelo found highly amusing Elena escaped back to the ship. Three people stopped her on her way back. Thursday passed much the same way and by the time the last of the modifications were in place Elena felt her store of small talk had been completely depleted.

“Tomorrow,” Mateo reminded her as they were leaving. “Tomorrow you can get on your ship and sail off into the sunset.”

“I know,” Elena replied sighing dreamily. “And as Captain, I absolutely refuse to allow small talk on my ship.”

Storm Chaser: Chapter 34

Extra long chapter to make up for last week. v.

Chapter 34

Details of the dream chased Elena through the night and it was something of a relief to see the clock reflect numbers suitable for rising. It was earlier than her alarm would announce but Elena rose anyway. She looked at the notebook by her bedside and decided she needed a few minutes to organize her thoughts before taking pen to paper. Elena slid out of bed and made her way to the shower. In the bathroom mirror she caught sight of her reflection and frowned. She had the same look she had worn the first time she had outrun the Matrovean. Elena turned on the shower to let the water heat up as she undressed.

That trip out she had been piloting the Wind Dancer on the Destal run. The Matrovean were hidden behind one of the moons.

“Keshog,” she said softly as she stepped into the shower’s spray. “The moon of Keshog.” Six ships had come at them fast. She could see the fierceness on her grandfather’s face as he watched them approach. He turned to her and seeing the panic rising in her eyes, had taken her face in his hands and stared at her until she could only focus on him.

“You focus on the ship,” he said. “Only on the ship. That is it. The only thing that exists. We will take care of the rest.” She had nodded slowly. He kissed her forehead and left her in the pilot house. She watched him stride across the deck, issuing orders, readying the crew in the event they were boarded. The ships weapons were readied and she saw the crew ready personal weapons as well. High-tech mixed with low-tech as weapons that would have blended with a Star Trek episode were strapped next to lethal looking cutlasses. A laser blast is good for distance, she had been told in training more times than she could count. But technology sometimes fails while a sharp blade will always cut.

“Pirates in blue jeans,” she muttered as she lathered shampoo into her hair. “One day I’m going to find a punk band to write a song for them with that title.” She smiled to herself a little at the old thought and again wondered if there were any bands that were guild raised. She rinsed out the shampoo and reached for the conditioner. Her perusal of the crew didn’t last long as she took her grandfather’s advice. She poured all of her energies into the ship, racing to pull ahead and away from the raiders hoping the crew would not have to use their blades. Her awareness of the crew faded until she was only the ship and the movement. It was sometime later that her grandfather returned to the pilot house. She didn’t react to his presence until his hands covered hers.

“That is enough,” he told her as he pried her hands away. “The threat has passed.” Elena slid her consciousness away from the ship and realized the raiders were barely shadows on the edge of her field of vision. She let go of the wheel and nearly collapsed. Her energy more than depleted. Alexandro had taken her to the galley where Marco had wrapped a blanket around her shoulders and placed a bowl of soup in her hands, commanding her to eat. She caught sight of her face, reflected in the shiny surfaces around the galley. As she ate her soup, the crew came by, smiled and made sure Marco was feeding her right. They were all happy and she realized they were all relieved. Many touched her hair as though she were a talisman against the dark. They had been expecting fighting and bloodshed. They had gotten neither. ‘Because of me,’ she had thought. Pride mixed with a heavy sense of responsibility filled her. This was not racing around the Docking Facility. This was not a game. People’s lives depended on her skills. She saw the knowledge of that reflected in her eyes in the galley that day. She had been three days shy of her twelfth birthday.

Now she was two months shy of her thirty-fourth birthday and saw that look in her eyes that morning. She frowned not having to be Freud to see the connection between the feeling and the eighteen pilots she had welcomed the day before.

“Except there is a lot more on the line than one crew,” she said. She rinsed the conditioner from her hair and added some body wash to the mesh scrubby she used in place of a washcloth. She worked the soap into the net until it was dripping with suds and began to lather herself with the crisp scented suds the bottle labeled as ocean breeze. She had found the name amusing but the scent pleasing so she kept buying it. Not for the first time she wondered what the cargo in her dream had been. At the moment she couldn’t think of anything she would carry that would be important enough to risk a channel in winter. She frowned as a thought occurred to her.

“I wasn’t bringing goods earthside. I was taking something skyside.” The thought did not give her insight to her cargo. The pipes groaned and Elena frantically began to rinse off the bubbles. “Just a little more,” she said, hoping the hot water would last. Luck was not with her and she yelped as the hot water gave out and she was pelted with cold droplets that felt like the chandelier’s crystal drops. Elena grit her teeth and resolutely washed off the last of the suds before turning the water off. She stood shivering and soundly cursed the ancient water pipes.

As they were accustomed to such abuse they did not respond. She pulled back to shower curtain and grabbed a towel from the rack. She quickly dried her skin then wrapped the large bath towel around herself. She pulled a smaller towel from the rack and used it on her hair. When the bulk of the drops were cleared she wrapped her hair up, turban style with the towel to keep it out of her face. The mirror was fogged up from the steam of the shower but when she ran a hand across its surface she was pleased to see her eyes no longer held the slightly haunted look.

“I suppose the cold water was good for something,” she conceded. She returned to the bed and sat down with the dream journal and pen. She had a feeling the first part of her dreams had been dreams and not part of the Calling but for some reason the necklace had bothered her. It was somehow familiar but she just couldn’t place it. Deciding there might be some clue in the ball room scene she recorded it and fervently hoped no one ever read the journal. She frowned over the part when she entered the pilot house and mentally blocked out the voice from the radio. She closed her eyes and tried to hear the words she had ignored. They wouldn’t come.

“Next time I’ll have to listen,” she told herself. “Of course maybe if I forget about it, then later the words will come to me.” With no better option she continued to record the dream. At the end she had no further clues as to her cargo. She did recall thinking of Kiera and green, growing things when she first woke up and as she had with the ball room scene, she wrote it down in case it was important later. By the time she was finished it was close enough to her normal rising time that she felt the need to get dressed and start her day. She had already showered and recorded her dreams, the process took less time than normal. Since she still had to come up with the exact questions she wanted Benjamin Valentine to answer for her prior to accepting him on this trip, Elena figured an early start was not such a bad idea.

Rain was still coming down and even though its pace had slackened, she still caught the hiss of ice against the glass. She thought of driving over to Nibbles and pulling her car into the employee lot but decided that would be more trouble than it was worth. Walking on empty sidewalks with a little bit of ice seemed safer to her than driving in a busy street coated with ice. Instead of her normal jacket she pulled out her waterproof trench coat she normally reserved for ship board use. It wasn’t pretty but it would do the trick. Before she pulled it on she pulled a hooded sweatshirt on over her work clothes. Even though she was planning to carry an umbrella, the hood would keep her ears warm. She then buttoned the trench coat over the sweatshirt.

“Definitely not my day for high fashion, she said. Instead of taking a purse, she tucked the essentials, cell phone, keys and wallet, into one of the deep inside pockets. She pulled a large umbrella from the stand by the door and left the apartment, ready to face the dreary morning. The hallway was still night quiet but Elena’s eyes did catch on something shiny in the hallway and her mouth quirked up in a smile as she locked her door behind her. Kiera’s door boasted a new shiny set of locks. Elena was no expert but she suspected Jonathan would have to take a little more care when attempting to enter Kiera’s apartment. Elena made a mental note to ask Kiera where she had picked up the locks and to get a set installed in her apartment as well. She had the feeling it wouldn’t do more than amuse Peter but it might slow down Jonathan and Smith.

With that happy thought she made her way to street level and let herself out onto the side walk. In the lee of the doorway overhang she put up her umbrella and began to walk. To her relief there was little wind and the icy droplets made an oddly pleasant hissing sound against the fabric of the umbrella. She had to take care where her steps fell but she noticed traffic did not appear to be moving any faster than she was. Small icicles hung from street signs and electrical wires and Elena wondered if they were in for a power outage. She would have to turn on the radio to check the weather report when she got in. She wondered if she could actually turn the radio on without disturbing Andre.

She made it to Nibbles without accident. As she was early, both Calabrese Imports and Nibbles were still dark, with only the window lights, accenting the merchandise providing any illumination. In the dim light they still glowed softly. She was going to have to visit some of her normal suppliers for the imports store soon or find someone who could take over that responsibility. She thought of some of the pilots that had been grounded but still possessed ships and wondered if any of them would be willing to take on the task while working on dealing with the Calling.

“Or would that seem too much like transport duty?” She muttered. For a second she struggled with the lock, having to chip away a bit of ice covering the key hole before inserting the key. While she was there she decided to clear the lock on the imports store as well. “No use Susan having to fight the lock as well,” she said making sure the lock turned easily and freely before letting herself inside.

Once inside she moved quickly through the store, hoping not to drip too much on the floor as she moved. Once in the conference room she shed her coat and hung it on the coat rack to dry. As the hooded sweatshirt was still dry she placed it on the back of the chair instead. She opened the umbrella up in the corner, showering the floor and corner with melted droplets. Leaving her outerwear to dry she returned downstairs, grabbed a towel from the break room and mopped up the floor.

“No need for anyone to take a header into a display,” she muttered. She draped the small towel over the break room sink to dry and returned to the conference room. The scent of coffee greeted her. Andre was sitting at the conference table doodling in a sketch pad.

“And I thought I was being quiet,” She commented.

“I could say that I have excellent hearing,” Andre said with a smile. “But I didn’t realize you were here until I came out to put the coffee on and saw your gear.” He inclined his head towards the coat rack and drying umbrella. “Meetings today?”

“So far just the one scheduled. Benjamin Valentine is supposed to show up around ten so that I can question him and decide if he will be shipping out with us Friday.”

“Ah,” Andre said. “It would be a good safety precaution.”

“That was my thinking,” Elena confirmed. She poured two cups of coffee from the still filling carafe and handed one to Andre before settling herself in the chair across from him. “If he can be trusted.”

“Always a good thing to know.” They sipped their coffee in silence for a few minutes. “I had an interesting talk with Peter last night.” Andre said breaking the companionable silence.

“Really?” Elena asked, one eyebrow lifted in surprise. “Did he actually give any information or was he looking for some?”

“Surprisingly,” Andre said with a smile. “He was in a giving mood. Not too giving of course. After all it wouldn’t do to have everyone know as much as he does.”

“Of course not. If that happened he would cease to be the puppet master extraordinaire,” Elena said. She took a sip of her coffee.

“This is true. Apparently my esteemed cousin has recently come across some information about a new ship the military has designed.”

“Uh huh,” Elena said thinking of the heavy craft Ian had been helping the military to build. “He happened to come across this info?”

“Yeah, he didn’t cite his source.”

“Of course not,” Elena said with a laugh, both of them thinking of the paper Jonathan had passed to Peter.

“It seems they have a new design that is more in keeping with a channel rider’s parameters.”

“Well at least they learned something,” Elena said. “And this really isn’t much of a surprise. Did he think the military would give up after one failed experiment? Especially now that they realize success is possible with some basic design modifications?”

“Not really,” Andre said with a shrug. “I think he is more surprised by the location of the channel the ship is prepared to attempt.”

“Oh? So they aren’t trying for the Marta?” She asked. Andre shook his head and gave her the coordinates Peter had passed to him. Elena frowned. “That’s the Augustine.” She took a sip of coffee and sat back in her chair thinking. The Augustine was a rarely used channel due to its distance from any viable port. To use that channel one would need a large series of transport ships to make the movement of goods even remotely profitable. A thought hit her and she nearly choked on her coffee. “They aren’t building their ship here.” Andre lifted his eyebrow in response. “If they built it here,” she clarified, “They would have to either haul her cross country overland or sail around through international waters. I’m sure they have a closer ship yard.”

“I’ll have to take your word for that,” Andre said. “Channel locations were never my strong suit.”

“So why did Peter tell you?” She asked.

“He thinks that Smith is designed as a distraction and wants me to keep an eye out for anyone else who may be involved.”

“Because so many top secret military discussions take place in coffee shops?” Elena asked with a smile.

“He seems to believe that once you ship out Jonathan is going to start asking me questions.”

“Really?”

“Yup. Peter thinks you and Mateo will be shipping out soon and not be available for conversation so they may focus on me as a possible source of information. I have been instructed to not shut the door in their faces but to try to glean as much information as possible without giving anything away. I will be instructed on what information I am allowed to pass along.” His voice sounded slightly bitter and Elena winced.

“I know you didn’t want to get involved with Peter. I’m sorry I got you into this.” Elena said with a frown. Andre startled her with a laugh.

“Yes you sucked me in with your super sneaky on the table totally up front job offer,” Andre said with a grin. “Remember? I accepted because I wanted to. Any consequences are therefore my fault.”

“Fine,” Elena said with a smile. “I am still sorry that you have to deal with Peter.”

“Had to happen sooner or later,” Andre said. “You can’t run from family forever. I just mostly thought you would want to know considering what we saw last night. And because those of us low on the informational feeding chain ought to pool our knowledge.”

“Appreciate it.”

“Maybe we can form our own diabolical plan together,” he said with a shrug, “Who knows.”

“That certainly would be a change of pace,” Elena said. She got up and refilled her coffee cup.

“So why are you in so early if you aren’t meeting with Benjamin Valentine until ten?” Andre asked. Downstairs they could here movement as Roger and the staff arrived and started to set up for the day. She had a feeling the weather would make shoppers very scarce. She glanced out of the window. The sleet had settled on a pace like an endurance runner. If it planned to continue all day she might be closing early and sending everyone home.

“I had an unsettling dream,” she told him. Skipping the part about the ball room, she told him about the ship and the widened channel and the somehow familiar necklace.

“Huh,” he said sitting back in his chair. “That would be an excellent expansion of talents. Do you remember what the necklace looked like?”

“Sure,” she said. “But I don’t know if this was a Calling dream or just a regular dream. Too much of it was odd.” Andre slid the sketchpad and pencil across the table to her.

“Can you draw the necklace for me?”

“My drawing skills stopped developing around the second grade,” she warned.

“Just the basics,” he said. “If you can get the basic shape of the thing down I can work on a more detailed sketch and then when we have something that looks like what you saw I can play detective on the internet and see if it looks like anything.”

Elena picked up the pencil. It was still warm from Andre’s fingers. Feeling very foolish she did a basic line drawing of what she had seen in her dream. What she ended up with was something that looked vaguely necklace shaped. She frowned.

“You really weren’t kidding about the second grade were you?” Andre said. She frowned at him. He took the pencil and sketch pad from her. “I’m guessing that it was longer than a choker and probably able to reach your collarbone from this, right?” he asked.

“Right,” Elena answered. Andre began to sketch, asking clarification questions along the way. Elena felt like she was a crime scene witness describing a perpetrator but she answered the questions. “Odd,” she said. “I’m not sure how I know what the clasp looked like but I do. I shouldn’t have been able to see it since it was around my neck.”

“Probably just means you saw it before,” Andre said. Roger came up to the conference room when Andre’s sketch was nearly complete.

“Very nice,” He said looking at Andre’s sketch.

“It’s from a dream I had,” Elena said feeling vaguely foolish.

“Then your dream self has very nice taste,” Roger said.

“Thanks,” Elena said with a smile. She noticed Roger was holding a notebook. “Something to go over?” She asked. He nodded.

“If you have the time,” he asked.

“Of course,” Elena answered.

“This is enough to get me started,” Andre said. He took his sketch pad and retreated to his work space. Roger sat down and opened his notebook. Together he and Elena began to go over the projected orders needed to keep Nibbles stocked. By the time they were done, Susan was waiting in the wings with a similar list to go through for the imports store.

“You have to love those mid-month reviews,” Elena said as Susan settled herself. This was more familiar ground for Elena since Calabrese Imports had been open for over five years. She had more of a sense of what was going to be coming in and from where. Susan looked relieved when they were done.

“I think I am going to get someone to help me manage the supply side of things,” Elena told her. “That way neither store will suffer any loss.” Susan looked even more relieved by the thought. By the time she and Susan had finished it was nearly ten and Benjamin Valentine was scheduled to arrive. Elena switched from coffee to water and mentally ran through her list of things to ask. Unfortunately it wasn’t a terribly long list. She realized that mostly things boiled down to whether she trusted him or not. For some reason Elena was inclined to trust him.

“Am I too early,” Benjamin asked from the doorway. Elena glanced at the clock on the wall. It was a quarter until ten.

“Now is as good a time as any,” she said with a smile. She held up the bottle of water she had just extracted from the fridge. “Would you like one?”

“Sure,” he said. She pulled out a second bottle as Benjamin unbuttoned his coat and hung it next to hers on the coat rack. He also had opted for a trench coat but the sheer size of it made her coat look like a child’s garment.

“Any particular chair?” He asked.

“Take your pick,” She told him, handing him the bottle of water. He settled himself in the chair across from her and twisted the cap off his water bottle. She settled herself back in the same chair and wondered if she was going to be spending most of her earthside time occupying it.

“So you have some questions,” he started.

“I do,” she said, pleased that he had cut to the chase.

“Mostly because you and your cousin are up to something super secret and you don’t want a third party ratting you out before you are ready.” He began to laugh. The laugh shook both him and the table. “You should see the look on your face,” he said.

“Ratting me out wasn’t exactly the way I would put it. We aren’t doing anything illegal.”

“Probably because you are doing something no one thinks can be done.” He shook his head. “I did my homework. Mateo is very good at what he does, as are you. People guessed about the Calling. Some think they guessed wrong and that you left not because of the Calling but because you wanted to set up shop independently of your grandfather. Now you have pilots flocking to you. Some of whom were known to be affected by the Calling. Instead of turning them away as useless you took them in. I have to believe something unusual is up.”

“Apparently I am no good at nefarious plots,” Elena said. She took a long draw of water.

“I doubt too many people are paying attention to that aspect at the moment if it’s any consolation,” he said. “Most are blinded by the store downstairs. They figure you need transport ships to make certain you can supply it year round and grounded pilots would be a good source for that. As for Mateo,” Benjamin concluded with a wave of his hand in the air. “From all accounts he does not get along with your cousin Therese. It would be natural for him to transfer to your house and avoid the possibility of hers.”

“Very logical, yet you still seem to think that isn’t the likeliest of scenarios?”

“No I think you are up to something,” he flashed a grin. “I have the feeling it will prove quite interesting.” Elena had to smile at the assessment.

“Have you ever worked for any of the council members?” She asked. He lifted an eyebrow.

“You would assume that because I am devious?”

“No simply asking because I want to know.”

“Ah,” he said. “My loyalties. I have never worked for the council or any member current or past in any capacity. My mother was a pilot, my father was guild raised. I am guild raised. My mother was of the Burgess line based in Detroit. My father’s family was the Shuler line based in Boston. Both were only children of only children. I was an only child. My parents were killed by raiders when I was seventeen and I am currently thirty seven. I stayed involved with the guild doing, odd jobs. I believe that covers most everything.” He gave her a wry grin and Elena had to laugh.

“You know if you are going to preempt my questions this is going to be a very short interview.”

“True but I have never been overly fond of interviews.”

“So both of your parents were from American lines,” she said.

“Yes,” he responded. She nodded. While it didn’t automatically stop him from having allegiance to one of the council members it was a good bet that they would not have his focused loyalties. The United States did not have their own councilor; none of the new world did, instead tying back to the established European seats. It was not a very happy system and had been the source of a great deal of friction in the past couple of decades. Elena had a brief flash of her mother but blocked it out for later thought.

“Consuelo, and a few others refer to you as Bennie V,” Elena said, distracting herself from the past and potential lethal politics.

“They do,” he said with a smile. “It is a holdover from a time when a more rough sounding name helped me in the odd jobs I managed to do.”

“And those jobs were?”

“More varied than I could name on short notice. Some of them took me to various places I would not care to revisit even in conversation. None of them should prove burdensome to you.” Elena nodded fairly certain that was the best she was going to get. Despite the lack of details she still trusted him.

“You are still working for Travcon?”

“I am but they do not ask for detailed analysis of my trips, merely that I do what they request of me.”

“So a confidentiality agreement would not put you in a difficult place?”

“No,” Benjamin said. “In fact it would help out a great deal.” Elena stood and walked over to the shelf. She picked up a pen and a piece of paper, walked back to the table and handed it to the grinning Benjamin.

“I have the feeling you decided on me before this interview.”

“More or less,” she said. Benjamin signed the paper and handed it back to her.

“We ship out with Friday’s tide.”

Storm Chaser: Chapter 33

Sorry for the delay. Had to attend a conference most of last week. Should be back on track for this week though. v.

Chapter 33

Seeing Peter and Jonathan’s clandestine meeting more or less killed any romance with speculation and when they thought enough time had passed to clear out the parking lot they left the bar. Andre drove Elena home. He walked her up, as before but this time there were no hallway lurkers. Elena wondered if Smith was just taking the night off or if they were just trying to regroup after she found their bugs.

“I think next time we should try for something at least a little way out of town,” Andre said. “It might keep the interruptions down.

“I agree,” Elena said. She opened her purse and took out her keys. “Even so, I had a really good time.”

“Me too,” Andre said. He leaned in for a kiss and Elena met him halfway. She felt a tingle run down her spine and for a short space no one but she and Andre existed. He pulled away and smiled. “Definitely need to do this again.”

“Definitely,” Elena said. She felt breathless. Andre’s cell phone rang, the Munsters’ theme song sounding loud in the hallway. He pulled the cell phone out and Elena could see him swallowing a swear.

“Peter,” he said.

“Ah,” Elena said. She unlocked her door.

“Good night,” Andre said. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” she answered, knowing Andre had to take the call. “Tomorrow. Good night.” She opened her door and Andre stepped away, answering Peter’s call. Elena went into her apartment. Spin was waiting in the living room as if expecting to receive a report. Elena smiled and before she could answer the cat’s questioning gaze she yawned hugely. She glanced at the clock on the wall and realized it was later than she usually went to bed on a week night.

“So no story for you,” she told Spin as she set her cell phone to charge and began to get ready for bed. “Although I think that next time we will both turn off the phones as well as leave town.” Elena smiled at the thought of having an uninterrupted next time as she changed for bed.

Spin followed her around and instead of curling up on her cushion and ignoring Elena she jumped up on the bed and took the extra pillow for the night. Elena took this as a sign that Spin felt a little neglected and when she slipped between the covers she pet Spin. She concentrated on the spots under the cat’s chin and on her belly until the feline purred like a well tuned sports car. When Spin stretched and yawned Elena judged her content and turned off the bedside lamp, snuggling deep beneath the covers.

She drifted off to sleep thinking of Andre. She smiled softly as her first dreams had her starring in an old black and white move as she and Andre danced across the gleaming surface of a ballroom dance floor. She was dressed in an old fashioned ball gown with a low cut neckline and layers of beaded trim while Andre wore a tux. Around her throat was an elaborate diamond necklace that somehow looked familiar. As they moved the lights from the chandelier made the diamonds cast sparkles of white blue fire. Elena looked up to find the chandelier held candles instead of light bulbs. The chandelier was dripping with cut crystal drops that sparkled just like the diamonds at her throat. She heard herself laugh as they executed a complicated spin in time to the orchestra’s song.

They spun again and this time they kept spinning until the lights began to spiral in a dizzying array. They spun faster and faster, the world around them bled to black with just the candles remaining streaks of light in the black. The cut crystal drops on the chandelier began to fall, turning into droplets of water as they sped towards the dance floor. The gleaming wood turned slick with water and while it stayed wood suddenly it was no longer a dance floor but the deck of the Storm Chaser. Andre released her and for a moment she spun like a top. The spinning slowed, Andre was gone and Elena fell to her knees gasping for breath. The candles resolved themselves into stars, punched deep in the black night sky. A crack of thunder sounded and lightning split the black. A wave crashed over the bow, drenching Elena. The wind was whipping the water to whitecaps around her.

She struggled to her feet, pleased to see that her clothing had changed with the scenery. The ball gown had disappeared with the dance floor. She was instead wearing a faded t-shirt and jeans, her beat up green chucks completing the outfit. She swallowed hard as she took in the situation and realized for some reason she was still wearing the diamond necklace. She shrugged the thought away and got her bearings. The Marta channel was straight ahead but the season had passed.

With the ship’s weight she would be scraping bottom if she attempted to clear it. A sense of urgency drove her. Elena whipped her head around and saw the mast of another ship approaching. From the size she knew it wasn’t a channel rider. She blinked water out of her eyes, the salty sting of the sea a familiar sensation. It pushed away confusion, there was no time to wonder just time to act. A ship in a storm tossed sea was no time for deliberation.

She must not let the other ship catch them. Somehow she knew that. Her cargo could not be risked. Clouds, black and boiling rushed in to block out the stars and rain began to sheet down. Elena gritted her teeth and fought both the rolling ship and the elements to reach the pilot house. Inside the noise of the storm dimmed. She ignored the voice from the other ship trying to hail her on the radio. It was filled with static and urgency. She blocked out the words. Elena aimed the ship towards the Marta and opened her mind to the channel.

“A few feet,” she muttered. “Just a few more feet.” She focused her attention on the open channel the way she had focused on the not yet channels of earlier dreams. Inside her head she felt the channel move. Inch by slow inch, the channel’s depth increased. Elena could feel it like a rubber band. Stretching as her mind forced it open. It reached proper depth as her ship began its entry. She could feel it wanting to snap back but she held it firm.

“Please don’t let it break,” she muttered. Her cargo was too precious to lose. The ship slid into the channel with barely an inch to spare. As the world slid into the blurred rainbow of non-space, Elena allowed the channel to resume its normal depth behind the ship.

She released it slowly, unsure what would happen if the channel simply snapped back into place. She released it when it reached normal depth and sighed with relief. The cargo was safe. They would have to shelter skyside until the next season but that wouldn’t be a problem. She had known it might come to that and had left plausible explanations for those not of the guild. And her cargo was safe. That was what counted.

Elena took a deep breath and opened her eyes in her night dark bedroom. Outside a storm had begun and rain pelted her window panes. It sounded like it had ice around the edges and she wondered if the new spring shoots would survive it. Somehow that turned her thoughts to Kiera and her balcony garden with its greenhouse enclosure. The thought of the plants, safe from the icy rain gave her comfort for some reason she couldn’t explain. Life would continue. Elena shook the thought away with a confused frown. She had never been given to overly worry about plants before. She mostly stayed away from any that weren’t cut and placed in vases. She snuggled deep into her covers, unsure if this had been a dream or the Calling. She shivered a little in reaction. The worry, stress and relief of the dream had seemed so real.

“What exactly was my cargo?” She thought, puzzled by the fierceness that had filled her. She had never had a cargo worth the risk of running a winter shallowed channel. Just as she had never thought of deepening an existing channel. It was a long time before she finally drifted back into sleep.